I received a box full of awesomeness in the mail this week from my friend, Megan. It contained:

Cute-as-pie jammies for Madeline
An adorable journal/notebook (and it's college ruled!) (Have you seen my stash of these?)
An Anne Lamott book
B-E-A-Utiful coasters that match my living room
A water bottle with a little bird on it that says "Hope" (which is Madeline's middle name and has such significance to us. Also, Madeline has been our "little bird" since day one in the hospital, when she gaped her little tiny mouth for food, like a baby robin.)
A bag with a similar adorable bird.
And a new clutch/wallet. Orange, because she knows me.

Um, wow? She informed me that she has been collecting the awesomeness since January, and I believe her. Everything was wrapped neatly in tissue paper, and there were little sticky notes with comments/explanations on them, so it was like she was there opening it with me.

I sincerely hope that all of you have a friend like Megan in your lives. Megan is my confidant, my "person." She is the one I tell when I can't tell anyone else, but I'll die to keep it in.

I think the best way I can explain our friendship is to share what I shared with Megan on her wedding day:

"Megan,

You are my very dearest friend. You are also, far and away, one of my goofiest friends. I have memories that span a decade of you and I dressed up in legwarmers, scrunchies, and ridiculous make-up dancing around eighties pop music - as a way to spend a Tuesday night.

I remember the day that Megan confided in me in her dorm room at Liberty and said, “I have a crush on Scott.” I was so overwhelmingly happy! I thought, “Scott is smart and respectful and a gentleman and he loves the Lord,” but then I paused and thought – “I don’t know if he’s goofy enough.”

I didn’t say anything, I just sort of watched to see how it would all play out.

My fears were dissuaded a few months later – after Meg had snagged him for her very own. We were going out to dinner for Megan’s birthday, and as we were standing in the parking lot I saw Scott take off running towards the car. He ran and jumped and slid into the driver’s seat through the car window! It was super smooth and well rehearsed. For a moment, he was Jackie Chan. I was so impressed!

A few days later Megan showed me a video of Scott and Company, just a bunch of college dudes dancing like absolute idiots to “I Like to Move It, Move It” from the Madagascar soundtrack. All by themselves in the car, delighted with their own silliness. I think that was what clinched it for me: I thought, goofy? Check. This is going to be a perfect fit.

There are people in my life that I’m friends with because we click, we have a lot in common, we have chemistry. And then there are people that I’m friends with because, over time, we’ve learned how to be good friends to one another.

And that is the very special kind of friendship that I have with Megan. She decided a long time ago that what was important to me in my life was going to be important to her in her life. When we moved apart for college after spending 6 years together in Raleigh, Megan sent me packages and cards. We spent time on the phone and on the computer chatting. She saved her hard-earned money and came to visit me every year. (The first time, I remember, we were totally college-student-broke, and she was content to lay on my couch and watch FRIENDS, and collect our nickels and dimes to buy Ramen noodles at Wal-Mart for dinner.) And while we certainly DO have a lot in common, and DO have a blast together – the thing that has allowed our friendship to endure is the fact that we learned how to be friends.

She was the first to visit me when I had Madeline, the first to visit when we bought our new house. (Since this time, she was the first to visit our new home in Alabama.) Megan, you are loyal and (sometimes brutally) honest. You are generous, and you are the best friend anyone could hope for. I know that in the same way you learned how to be a great friend, you are going to learn how to be a great wife.

After all, there’s quite a bit of overlap. Consider things like communication, generosity, compromise, commitment, vulnerability, forgiveness, and plain having fun. Scott – you are blessed among men!

So here’s to Megan and Scott – may you always be students of life; learning how to be better wives, husbands, and followers of Jesus. Congratulations."